2016 AUDI A6 maintenance

Table of content s
Bulbs ... . ... ... .. .. ..... ... .. .. ...
263
Replacing light bulbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 263
Emergency situations . . . . . . . . . . . . 264
General . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 264
Starting by pushing or towing . . . . . . . . . . 264
Starting w ith jumper cables . . . . . . . . . . . 264
Use of jumper cables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 265
Towing w ith a tow truck . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 266
Ra is ing the veh icle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 268
Te chnical Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 270
Technical data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 270
Veh icle identification . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 270
We ights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 270
D imensions. .. .... ........... .... ... 27 1
Capac ities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 7 1
Gasoline engines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 272
D iese l engines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 272
Consumer information ... .. .. .. . 273
Warranty coverages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 273
Operating your vehicle outside the U .S .A .
or Canada . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 273
Aud i Service Repair Man uals and
Literature . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 273
Maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 3
Accesso ries and technical changes . . . . . . 275
D eclarat ion of Compliance,
Telecommu nication and Electron ic
Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 276
Index ... .. .. .... ........... .. .. .. . 277
4

In addition to this Owner's Manual, your Audi
comes with the
- MMI Operat ing Instructions
- Warranty
& Maintenance booklet.
If you are missing one of these publications, or if
you believe that the information is not complete,
contact your author ized Audi dealer for assis­
tance.
MMI Operating Instructions
contain detailed description of the Aud i Mu lti
Media Interface (MMI) includ ing the nav igation
system, the sound system and the hand held
phone.
The Warranty & Maintenance booklet
explains how you can keep your Audi in top driv­ ing condition by having it serviced regu larly and
contains detailed information about the warran­
ties covering your Aud i. Always have the booklet
with you when you take your veh icle to an author­
iz ed A udi dealer for serv ice. Your Audi Serv ice Ad­
visor w ill record each scheduled service and can
answer any questions you may have regarding
h ow to maintain your vehicle.
In Canada,
the vehicle literature is also available in French.
To obtain a copy, co nta ct you r dealer or write to:
Au Canada, on peut se procurer un exemplaire en
frarn;ais de ce document aupres du concession­
naire ou de:
Aud i Canada
Client Assistance
Assistance a la Clientele
777 Bayly Street, West,
Ajax, Ontario LlS 7G7
If you sell your Audi
all literature should be left in the vehicle to make
the Warranty terms as well as all operating, safe­
ty and maintenance informat ion ava ilable to the
next owner.
Owner 's Literature
If you change your address or if you bought
this Audi used
be sure to send in a "Notice of Address Change" I
"Not ice of Used Car Purchase" post card. This
card can be found in the Warranty
& Mainte­
nance booklet or obtained from your authorized
Audi dealer.
It is in your own interest that we are able to
contact you should the need arise.
5

.... N
0 CJ ' M I.Cl ......
-Inspection or oil change reminder: After a cer­
tain distance driven, a message appears in the
instrument cluster display each time the ign i­
tion is switched on or off¢
fig. 13. The remain­
ing distance or time is displayed briefly.
-Inspection or oil change due: If your vehicle is
due for an inspection or oil change or both, a
message appears briefly in the instrument clus­
ter display when sw itching the ign ition on or
off:
Inspection due! or Oil change due! or Oil
change and inspection due! .
Checking service intervals
You can check the remaining distance or time un­
til the next oil change or next inspection n the
Car menu. To do this, select: the
ICARI function
button
> (Car)* Systems control button > Service
& control > Service intervals .
Resetting the indicator
Your authorized Audi dealer or authorized Audi
Service Facility will reset the service interval dis­
play after performing service .
If you have changed the oil yourself, you must re­
set the oil change interval.
To reset the indicator, select: the
ICARI function
button
> (Car)* System control button > Service
& control > Service intervals. Turn the control
knob downward to
Reset oil change interval and
press the control knob.
(D Note
-Only reset the oil change indicator if the oil
was changed.
- Following the service intervals is critical to
maintain ing the service life and va lue of
your vehicle, especially the engine. Even if
the mileage on the vehicle is low, do not ex­
ceed the time for the next service.
- Calculating the t ime to the next oil change
i s interrupted when the vehicle battery is
disconnected.
If the vehicle is not driven for
a long period of time, check the mainte­
nance schedule so that you can follow the
maintenance interva ls.
Instruments and indicator lights
Head-up display
Applies to vehicles: with Head-up display
Fig. 14 Example : Indicato rs in the Head -up d isplay
Fig . 15 Instrument panel: head-up display knob
The Head-up display projects certain warnings or
selected information from the assistance sys­
tems* or navigation* on the windshield . The dis­
play appears w ithin the driver's field of vision.
Switching on/off
.. To switch the head-up display on or off, press
the knob~¢
fig. 15 .
Adjusting the height
The height of the display can be adjusted to the
individual driver .
.. Make sure you are seated correctly
r=!)page 126.
.. Turn the knob~ to adjust the disp lay .
Settings in the Infotainment system
.. Select: the I CAR I function button> (Car)* Sys­
tem
control button > Driver assistance > Head­
up display > Head-up display contents
or Dis-
play brightness. .,..
27

Warm and cold Climate control system
Description
App lies to vehicles: with three-zone climate control or four ­
zone a utomat ic climate contro l
The climate control system warms, cools and
adds humidity to the air in the vehicle interior . It
is the most effective when the windows and sun­
roof* are closed .
If the temperature inside the
parked vehicle becomes very warm, opening the
window briefly will speed up the cooling process.
In all heating mode functions except
defrost, the
blower only switches to a higher speed once the
engine coolant has reached a certain tempera­
ture.
Condensat ion from the cooling system can drip
and form a puddle of water under the vehicle.
This is normal and does not mean there is a leak.
Pollutant filter
The pollutant filter removes pollutants such as
dust and pollen from the air.
T he air pollutants filter must be changed at the
intervals specified in your Warranty
& Mainte­
nance booklet, so that the air conditioner can
properly work .
If you drive your vehicle in an area with high air pollution, the filter may need to be changed
more frequently than specified in your Audi War­
ranty
& Maintenance booklet . If in doubt, ask
your authorized Audi Service Advisor for advice .
Key coded settings
Three-zone climate control: The blower setting
and air distribution are stored automatically and
assigned to the remote contro l key that is in use.
Four-zone automatic climate control: Th e cli­
mate control settings are automatically stored
and assigned to the remote contro l key that is in
use.
Warm and cold
A WARNING
Reduced visibility is dangerous and can cause
accidents .
- For safe driving it is very important that all
windows be free of ice, snow and condensa­
tion .
- Completely familiarize yourself with the
proper use and function of the heating and
ventilation system and especially how to de­
fog and defrost the windows .
- Never use the windshield wiper/washer sys­ tem in freezing weather until you have warmed the windshield first, using the heat­
ing and vent ilation system. The washer so lu­
tion may freeze on the w indshield and re­
duce visibility.
(D Note
- If you suspect that the air conditioner has
been damaged, sw itch the system off to
avoid further damage and have it inspected
by a qualified dealership.
- Repa irs to the Aud i air cond itioner require
special technical knowledge and special
tools. Contact an authorized Audi dea ler for
assistance.
@ For the sake of the environment
By reduc ing the amount of fuel you use, you
also reduce the amount of pollutants emitted
into the air.
(D Tips
- Keep the air intake slots (in front of the
windshield) free from ice, snow and debris
in order to maintain the proper function of
the climate control system.
- The energy management system may switch
the seat heating* or rear window defroster off temporarily . These systems are availab le
again as soon as the energy balance has
been restored .
- Air escapes through vents under the rear
window. When placing items of clothing on the luggage compartment cover, ensure
that the openings are not covered.
67

(D Tips
If the capacitive passenger detection system
determines that the front passenger seat is
empty, the frontal airbag on the passenger
side will be turned off, and the
PA SSENGER
A IR BAG OFF
light will stay on.
Repair , care and disposal of the airbags
Parts of the a irbag system are installed at many
d ifferent p laces on your Aud i. Installing, remov­
ing, servic ing o r repa iring a part in an area of the
vehicle can damage a part of an airbag system
and p revent that system from working properly
in a co llision.
There are some important things you have to
know to make su re t hat the effectiveness of the
system w ill not be impaired and that discarded
components do not cause injury or pollute the
environment .
A WARNING
Improper care, serv icing and repa ir proce­
dures can increase the r isk of personal injury
and death by preventing an airbag from de­
ploying when needed or deploying an airbag
unexpectedly:
-
- Never cover, obstruct, or change the steer­ ing wheel horn pad or a irbag cover or the in­
strument panel or mod ify them in any way.
- Never attach any objects such as cup holders or te lephone mountings to the su rfaces cov­
er ing the airbag units.
- For cleaning the ho rn pad or instrument
pane l, use on ly a soft, dry cloth or one mois­
tened with plain water. Solvents or cleaners cou ld damage the a irbag cover or change
the stiffness or strength of the mater ial so
that the airbag cannot dep loy and protect
properly.
- Never repair, adjust, or change any parts of
the airbag system.
- All work on the steering wheel, instr ument
pane l, front seats or electrical system (in ­
cluding the installation of audio equipment,
cellu lar telephones and CB rad ios, etc.)
must be performed by a qualified technician
Airb ag sys tem
who has the t raining and spec ial equ ipment
necessary.
- For any wo rk on the airbag system, we
strong ly recommend that you see yo ur au­
thorized Audi dealer or qualified workshop.
- Never modify the front b umper or parts of
the vehicle body.
- Always make sure that the side a irbag can
inflate w ithout interference:
- Never ins tall seat covers or replacement
u pholste ry ove r the front seatbacks that
have not been specifica lly approved by
Audi.
- Never use addi tional seat cushions that
cove r the areas where the side airbags in­
flate.
- Damage to the orig inal se at cove rs or to
the se am in the area of the s ide airbag
module must a lways be repaired immedi­
ate ly by an authorize d Aud i dealer.
- The airb ag system can deploy on ly on ce. Af­
ter an airbag has been deployed, it must be
replaced with new replacement parts de­
signed and approve d espec ially for your
Aud i model version. Replacement of com­
p lete airbag systems or airbag components
m ust be performed by qualified workshops
only . Make sure that any airbag service ac­
tion is entered in you r A udi Warranty
&
Maintenance boo klet under AIRBAG R E­
PLAC EM ENT R ECORD.
- For safety reasons in severe accidents, the
alternator and starte r are separated from
the vehicle ba tte ry with a pyro te chnic cir cui t
interrupter.
- Work on the pyrotechnic c ircuit interrupt­
er must on ly be performed by a qualif ied
technic ians who have the exper ience, in­
format ion and specia l tools necessa ry to
perfo rm the wor k safely.
- If the vehicle or the circuit interr upte r is
scrapped, all applicable safety p recautions
must be followed.
157

CD Note
-Vehicle components such as the engine,
transmission, suspension or electrical sys­
tem can be severely damaged by driving
through water.
- Always switch the Start-Stop-System* off
when driving through water
9 page 79.
@ Tips
- Determine the depth before driving through
water.
- Do not stop the vehicle, drive in reverse or
switch the engine off when driving through
water.
- Keep in mind that oncoming vehicles may
create waves that raise the water level and
make it too deep for your vehicle to drive
through safely.
-Avoid driving through salt water (corrosion).
Catalytic converter
Applies to vehicles: with gasoline engine
It is very important that your emission control
system (catalytic converter) is functioning prop­
erly to ensure that your vehicle is running in an
environmentally sound manner .
... Always use lead-free gasoline 9 page 208,
Fuel supply.
... Never run the tank down all the way to empty.
.,. Never put too much motor oil in your engine
9 page 220, Adding engine oil~-
.,. Never try to push- or tow-start your vehicle.
The catalytic converter is an efficient "clean-up"
device built into the exhaust system of the vehi­
cle. The catalytic converter burns many of the
pollutants in the exhaust gas before they are re­
leased into the atmosphere.
The exclusive use of unleaded fuel is critically im­
portant for the life of the catalytic converter and
proper functioning of the engine.
A WARNING
The temperature of the exhaust system is
high, both when driving and after stopping
the engine.
Driving and the environment
- Never touch the exhaust tail pipes once they
have become hot. This could result in burns.
- Do not park or operate the vehicle in areas
where the hot exhaust system may come in contact with dry grass, brush, fuel spill or
other material which can cause a fire.
- Do not apply additional undercoating or
rustproofing on or near the exhaust mani­
fold, exhaust pipes, catalytic converter or heat shields. During driving, the substance
used for undercoating could overheat and
cause a fire.
CD Note
- Be aware that just one tank filling with
leaded fuel will already seriously degrade
the performance of the catalytic converter .
- Do not exceed the correct engine oil level
9page220.
- Do not drive until the fuel tank becomes
completely empty . The engine could mis­
fire. Unburned fuel could also get into the
exhaust system and this could cause the
catalytic converter to overheat.
- Do not switch off the ignition while the vehi­
cle is moving.
- Do not continue to operate your vehicle un­
der these conditions, as otherwise fuel can
reach the catalytic converter. This could re­
sult in overheating of the converter, requir­
ing its replacement .
- To assure efficient operation of the Emis­
sion Control System:
- Have your vehicle maintained properly and
in accordance with the service recommen­
dations in your Warranty
& Maintenance
booklet.
- Lack of proper maintenance as well as im­
proper use of the vehicle will impair the
function of the emission control system
and could lead to damage.
@ For the sake of the environment
Even when the Emission Control System is op­
erating properly, the exhaust gas can have a
sulfur-like exhaust gas smell under some op­
erating states. This depends on the sulfur
195

Driving and th e en vironm ent
content of the fuel be ing used. Using a differ ­
ent brand of fue l may he lp, or filling the tank
w ith lead-free super grade gasoline.
Diesel particulate filter
Applies to vehicles: with diesel engine
The diesel particulate fi lter fi lters nearly all of
the soot particles out of the exhaust. The fi lter
cleans itself automatically under normal driving
conditions.
If the filter cannot clean itself (for ex­
ample, because you are only driving short distan­
ces), the filter becomes clogged w ith soot and
the
II symbo l for the diesel particulate filter il­
lum inates ¢
page 20.
_& WARNING
-Do not park you r vehicle over flammable
materials such as grass or leaves because
the high temperature of the diese l particu­
late fi lter could start a fire .
-
-Do not apply an underbody protectant in the
exhaust system area or a fire could start.
Placing your vehicle out
of service
If you would like to take your vehicle out of serv­
ice for a longer time, contact your authorized
Audi dealer or qualified repair facility. They will
adv ise you of important measures, such as corro­
sion protection, maintenance and storage proce­
dures. A lso follow the information about the bat­
tery ¢
page 226 .
Economical and environ­
mentally-friendly driving
General
Your personal style of driving will determine the
economy of your vehicle, as well as exhaust and
noise levels .
Fuel economy, environmental impact, and wear
on your engine, brakes and tires largely depend
on three factors :
-your personal driving style
- operating conditions
196
- technical limitations
If you ant icipate what you need to do next and
drive economically, you can easily cut your fuel
consumption by 10-15 percent. This sect ion will
give you some tips on how you can help the envi ­
ronment and your pocketbook.
(D Tips
'
The consumption estimates as published by
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
(EPA) and Transport Canada may not corre­
spond to your actual consumption on the
road, which will vary depending upon vehicle
load and speed, road and weather conditions,
trip length, etc.
Drive smoothly and keep a lookout ahead
Vehicles use the most fuel when they are acceler­
ating.
.. Avoid unnecessary accelerat ing and braking .
Vehicles use the most fuel when they are acceler­
ating. If you anticipate what is going to happen
next, you will need to brake less and, thus, accel­
erate less. Let the vehicle coast whenever possi­
ble -for example when you see that the next traf­
fic light is red.
Avoid full throttle
Driving at moderate speeds saves fuel and im­
proves your mileage.
.. Try and keep well below your car's maximum
speed.
Acce lerating gently reduces fuel consumption,
engine wear, and does not disturb the environ­
ment .
Fuel consumption, exhaust emissions and engine
noise increase disproportionate ly at high speeds.
If you drive at approximately three quarters of
top speed, fuel consumption will be reduced by
one half. Never drive faster than the posted
speed limit and weather conditions permit.

Reducing unnecessary idling
Even when your car is just idling it burns up fuel.
~ Shut the engine off when you are not driving
the vehicle.
~ Do not warm up the vehicle by letting the en-
gine run at idle .
The idling phase is automat ically reduced for
veh icles w ith the Start-Stop-System. It is effi­
cient to switch off the engine in vehicles without
the Start-Stop-System when stopped at ra ilroad
crossings and long red lights . Turning the engine
off for just 30-40 seconds saves more fuel than is
b ur ned by sta rting the engine ag ain.
It takes a long t ime for the engine to warm up
fu lly when it is runni ng at idle . Howeve r, wear
and noxio us emiss ions a re espe cially high when
the eng ine is wa rm ing up. So you sho uld d rive
away as soon as you sta rt the engi ne and avoid
r u nning at high rpms whi le the engine is still
warming up .
(D Note
Do not leave engine id ling unatten ded a fter
starting . If warning lights should come on to
indicate im proper operation, they wou ld go
unheeded. Extended id ling a lso produces
heat, wh ich could result in overheat ing or
other damage to the vehicle or other proper­
ty.
Regular maintenance
A badly tuned engine unnecessarily wastes a lot of fuel.
~ Have your veh icle serviced at regu lar intervals.
By having your veh icle reg ularly serviced by an
Audi dea ler helps to ensure that it runs proper ly
and econom ica lly. The condition of your veh icle
not on ly affects its safety and ability to ho ld its
va lue, it a lso affects
fuel consumption .
Check you r oil each time you fill your tank.
The amount of oil use d i s re lated to e ngine lo ad
a nd speed.
Driving and the envir onment
It is normal for the oil consumption of a new e n­
gine to reach its lowest value after a certain mi le­
age has been dr iven.
Yo u m ust dr ive your ve hicl e abou t 3,0 00 m iles
(S, 000 kilometers) befo re yo u can properly as ­
sess oil consumption .
T h is also ap plies to f ue l cons umption and eng ine
o utput .
CD Note
-Have your ve hicle maintained pro perly and
in acc ordance w ith the se rvice rec ommend a­
ti ons i n your W arra nty
& M ain ten ance book­
let . Lack of proper maintenan ce as we ll as
improper use of the ve hicl e w ill impair the
function of the em ission cont rol system and
co uld lead to damage.
- Do not alte r or remove any component of
the Emission Contro l System unless ap­
proved by the man ufacturer.
- Do not alte r or remove any device, such as
heat shields, switches, ign it ion w ires,
valves, which are designed to protect your
vehicle's Emission Contro l System a nd othe r
im por tan t ve hicle components .
Fewer short trips
Fuel consumption will always be relatively high
on short trips.
~ Try to avo id driv ing short distances with a cold
eng ine .
T he engine and cata lytic conve rter have to reach
their opt imal
operating temperature to reduce
fuel consumpt io n and noxious emiss ions effec­
tively.
Just afte r starting, a cold engine in a mid-size car
only achieves a fuel economy of 6-8 m iles per
gallo n (30-40 l/ 100 km) . After about a half a
mile, fuel economy climbs to 12 mpg (20 l/100
km) . Afte r about
2 .5 m iles (4 km), the eng ine is
at its p roper operat ing temperature and fue l
eco nomy has reached a no rma l level. So yo u can
see th at yo u should avoid short trips w heneve r
poss ible. .,.
197